Orthotics ??!!

Hi there, I have just been to see a sports injury physio about a niggle I have in my left hip and also regular pulled calf muscles. Looking at my gait, he told me that I over pronated and that orthotics would be of great benefit to me. Apparently the over pronation is causing the hip problem in the form of Piri Formis, and is also causing the calf muscles to pull. I am more than willing to try out custom made orthotics as advised, but was wondering if anyone could give me a heads up on how much I would pay for a pair, how long they last and what type of shoes would I need to run in ? At present I run in support shoes, but would I need neutral shoes as the orthotics would be correcting my gait ? Any advice would be great.

These are all questions which the person issuing the orthoses should be answering for you (and make sure you have these answers before you commit to proceeding). However I personally would be wary of anyone who uses the awful term 'overpronation' like a diagnosis. I am also of the personal belief that not all professions/professionals are equal when it comes to their understanding of when orthoses are and are not appropriate. I would generally advocate seeing a Podiatrist in conjunction with a Physiotherapist for these sorts of issues so they can work together to get things back on track for you.

I am sorry to hear you are sufering from the dreaded over pronation! I too have had to put up with this. My physio also told me to get some orthotics so I looked around for custom made one and was fairly shocked at the price. A mid range pair, aftre fittings etc will cost the best part of £250. I then asked the physio about the "off the shelf" ones and she said there are some good ones out there and at around £20 they were worth a shot. I tried a couple of brands which were OK then I tried a brand called Footlogics www.footlogics.co.uk and I must say they are great. I have been running without much pain for a couple of months and very glad I tried them before shelling out hundreds of pouds! I hope this helps

Thanks for the advice Burt, I didn't realise they would be so pricey !! I will have a look to see what's on offer before I fork out for some. How long are they expected to last and do they replace the insole that comes with the running shoes ?

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